Zydus LifeSciences on Wednesday announced the introduction of a generic version of anti-cancer drug Olaparib to make cancer treatment affordable and accessible to patients.
The generic version of Olaparib is a PARP (Poly-ADP ribose polymerase) inhibitor, which is under the brand name IBYRA in India. The PARP protein aids damaged cells to fix themselves. These PARP inhibitors stop the PARP from doing the repair work in cancer cells due to which the cancer cells die.
Zydus LifeSciences in a media release said that the treatment cost of generic Olaparib for a year has been capped at Rs. 3 lakh compared to around Rs. 72 lakh for the drug from the pioneer. The reduction in the cost of the medicine lessens the treatment cost of the patient. The drug became affordable due to the expiration of certain patents.
The company said that this generic version of Olaparib is prescribed to treat breast, ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic cancers. This generic Olaparib will target specific genetic mutations that are prevalent in certain types of cancers and facilitate tailored and effective treatment. It also said that according to the data from Globocan 2022, each year in India among an assessed 14 lakh newly diagnosed cancer patients, almost 2,75,000 patients are diagnosed with ovarian, breast, prostate, and pancreatic cancers and among these patients, those who are diagnosed with HRD positive or with BRACA mutation are administered with this PARP inhibitor which slows down the development of the disease.
To identify patients for the treatment with this generic version of Olaparib Zydus LifeSciences collaborated with the MedGenome firm. Zydus LifeSciences managing director Sharvil Patel in a press release said that the right diagnosis and the right treatment early can give patients a big advantage in the fight against cancers.
The Olaparib drug is a patented molecule in India and the patents are affiliated with a company named Kudos Pharmaceuticals. In 2005 it was acquired by AstraZeneca. One patent of the drug expired in 2021 and another on March 12, 2024.
Five years ago, India's drug regulatory authority, authorized the import and marketing of Olaparib by AstraZeneca. Due to the high cost of the innovator molecule, patient's rights advocates in India have contended for generic versions.
The generic version of Olaparib was first launched by Natco Pharma, a Hyderabad-based company last year.
The introduction of generic versions of Olaparib makes affordable and accessible treatment for cancer patients.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Lavanya Beeraboina/MSM)
